This lesson will be short because you will be learning about one grammatical principle that is fairly straightforward. In this lesson, you will learn how to connect two clauses with ~(으)려면 to have the meaning of “if one wants to be able to” or “if one intends to.” Let’s get started.

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If one wants to be able to: ~(으)려면

In Lesson 32 you learned how to connect two clauses with ~(으)려고 to have the meaning ‘in order to,’ or ‘for the purpose of.’ For example:

저는 저의 친구를 만나려고 서울에 갔어요 = I went to Seoul in order to meet my friend

In Lesson 43 you learned how to connect two clauses with ~(으)면 to have the meaning of ‘if’ or ‘when.’ For example:

거기에 가면 알려주세요 = If you go there, let me know

This is the first time that you have been introduced to a grammatical form that is actually a combination of two grammatical forms tied together. Not only is the physical look of ~(으)려면 a combination of ~(으)려고 and ~(으)면, but its meaning is the combination of the two respective meanings.

By connecting two clauses with ~(으)려면, you can create the meaning “if one wants to be able to” or “if one intends to.” Though both translations have similar meanings, I like to use the first translation (“if one wants to be able to”) because you can plainly see how ~려 and ~면 are being used to create this meaning.

When making sentences, most of the time you can replace ~(으)려면 with ~고 싶으면. For example:

대학교에 가려면 수능을 잘 봐야 돼요 = If you want to be able to go to University, you should do well on 수능
대학교에 가고 싶으면 수능을 잘 봐야 돼요 = If you want to go to university, you should do well on 수능

의사가 되려면 공부를 많이 해야 돼요 = If you want to be able to be a doctor, you should study a lot
의사가 되고 싶으면 공부를 많이 해야 돼요 = if you want to be a doctor, you should study a lot

The subtle difference that exists between ~(으)려면 and ~고 싶으면 is that the ~려 in ‘~(으)려면’ signifies that the desired action requires a certain amount of effort to be completed. For example, where this sentence makes sense:

가고 싶으면 가세요! = If you want to go, go!

…replacing ~고 싶으면 with ~(으)려면 would not make sense. In this example, simply the act of going does not require any effort. However, in the examples presented earlier, ‘becoming a doctor,’ and ‘going to university’ require a significant amount of effort, and the upcoming clause specifies where that effort should be channeled.

As you have seen, when ~(으)려면 is used, it is usually followed by a clause ending with ~아/어야 하다. Other typical endings are ~이/가 필요하다 or an imperative ending like ~세요 or 아/어라.

More examples:

그렇게 비싼 것을 사려면 돈이 많이 필요해요 = If you want to be able to buy that, you need a lot of money
서울에 가려면 지하철을 타! = If you want to be able to go to Seoul (if you want to go to Seoul/if you intend to go to Seoul), then take the subway!
서울에 가려면 어디로 가야 돼요? = If I want to go to Seoul, which way should I go?
주소를 바꾸려면 직접 와야 돼요 = If you want to be able to change your address, you must come in person (if you intend to change your address, you should come in person)